Transcript of Remarks and Response to Media Questions by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Joint Press Conference Following Talks with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, Moscow, March 9, 2010

Esteemed colleagues,

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and I have discussed the state of our bilateral relations, regional cooperation in various formats, primarily in northern Europe, and relations between Russia and the European Union. We appreciate the support Finland invariably gives to the deepening of our strategic partnership with the EU. Traditionally we also cooperate on various international issues that are on the agenda of the world community.

The main conclusion on the basis of today's talks is that our relations are on the rise. This year we observe another anniversary – December 31 will mark 90 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Russia, like Finland, is interested in how to further strengthen good-neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation. It is our strategic course, which has broad support in Russian society.

We are consistently implementing the agreements reached during the meetings of our Heads of State and Government. Our Presidents and Prime Ministers meet regularly several times a year. On February 10 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a working visit to Finland, where he also attended the Baltic Sea Action Summit, and held talks with the President and Prime Minister of Finland. In the near future a regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission is to be held, which will set out the measures, hopefully effective, to help overcome the negative impact that the global financial crisis has had on our mutual trade and economic cooperation.

Toward the end of the year, a high-speed passenger train is to be launched on the St. Petersburg-Helsinki route. High-speed Allegro electric trains will cover this distance in three and a half hours. So we have a lot of specific projects, and there is our mutual keenness to ensure that the Russian-Finnish cooperation in areas of high technology, innovations and their adoption in production contributes to what we call the "Modernization Partnership" in our relations with the EU.

We fruitfully cooperate in such regional Baltic Sea and Northern Europe entities as the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Barents Euro-Arctic Council, Arctic Council, and Northern Dimension. Today we with my Finnish colleague discussed ways to improve the effectiveness of these mechanisms in the common interests of our countries.

In terms of relations between Russia and the European Union, we highly appreciate that Finland is one EU country consistently supportive of the early creation of conditions for transition to a visa-free regime and of filling our strategic partnership with a qualitatively new content. The talks which are now underway between Russia and the EU on a new framework agreement, I am sure will reflect all these moods and approaches.

Among international issues, we traditionally have a close dialogue on European security and on OSCE activity as a whole in order that the principles of the Helsinki Final Act are not forgotten, but find a full-blown coherent reflection in the life of today's Europe, above all in terms of avoiding the appearance of any new dividing lines here. Nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament, the Middle East settlement, the situation in Afghanistan, and many other problems are the subject of our dialogue. We appreciate this dialogue and see in the conversations with our Finnish partners a desire to make our concrete and effective contribution to common efforts by the world community to find ways to resolve problems.

I thank my colleague and friend Alexander Stubb for today's round of talks. We will further continue it.

Question: Please comment on the situation with the Rantala family.

Minister Lavrov: I understand that it has caused a great public outcry in Russia. This is understandable as it concerns the fate of a seven-year-old boy. The question, of course, must be resolved on a legal plane. Therefore we provide our citizen Inga Rantala, mother of Robert, with all the necessary consular assistance, including provision of qualified legal counsel. We hope that the Finnish authorities will make fair decisions, to be dictated, as Alexander Stubb noted, primarily by the interests of the child himself and by the interests of preserving the integrity of the family. We support entirely the inclusion of children's rights commissioners in consideration of this problem. Our commissioner Pavel Astakhov in mid-March will be in Helsinki, where he will discuss not only this particular situation, but, as we agreed with the Finnish Foreign Minister, the problems arising from adoption in general, as the case of Robert is not unique. We would like to forge close interaction here, in order to avoid any misunderstandings, and even more so incidents. Indeed, the issue is within the scope of law enforcement and judicial bodies, but we have also noted the foreign ministry aspect to this entire situation, there are the Vienna Conventions, under which the participating countries undertake to exchange information about what is happening with a foreign national in the country of residence. This applies to adoption cases too. In this issue we have found understanding on the part of our Finnish friends. We hope that the relevant authorities in Finland that supervise these matters will comply with the international conventions. However, I repeat, we very much hope that the meeting of the two commissioners will determine further actions that will enable tackling these problems systemically.

Question: What are the biggest obstacles to visa-free travel from Russia to the European Union on the part of the EU? Can you assure us that Russian society and the Russian state are ready for visa-free travel? We know that some of Russia's security services are having some doubts on this score.

Lavrov: The question of Russia's transition to a visa-free regime with the EU is determined by the Russian leadership. The Russian leadership at the President level has stated repeatedly that we are ready even tomorrow on a basis of reciprocity to move to a visa-free regime. I am sure that in Finland, as in Russia, security agencies implement the decisions taken by the President, not vice versa. I think that we have clarified this part of your question.

As to the obstacles that exist on the path to concluding an agreement on a visa-free regime, I see none. I see the political desire of many EU members, the desire expressed at the highest level, to take decision to move to a visa-free regime. I know that the relevant dialogue is under way between the EU institutions responsible for this matter – the European Commission, the Brussels entities. We understand that for this decision to be taken the EU needs a consensus. This is probably one of the tasks whose solution lies on the other side of our border with the EU. In Russia we will be ready to take extra concrete measures that should be part of a visa-free regime.

I am very appreciative of the approach that Alexander Stubb set out. He referred to registration. This is not the first time we hear from our partners that this is a serious practical problem for foreigners in Russia, and we are dealing with this problem. The main thing is that ever new artificial conditions should not be put forward in order to delay the adoption of a political decision. I am convinced that a political decision can include all those aspects of a visa-free regime that should additionally be introduced into practice. Our Finnish colleagues share this understanding of things. I hope that towards the Russia-EU Summit in Rostov-on-Don, to be held May 31-June 1, the leaders of Russia and the EU will be able to speak out clearly on this issue.

We are now completing the preparation of a bilateral agreement with Finland. In principle, a few years ago we raised the issue with Brussels about how to develop mutually acceptable common rules for work permit issuance applicable on a basis of parity. The European Commission showed no interest in this. Therefore, we have recently moved to the preparation of relevant intergovernmental agreements on the conditions of temporary employment in our countries with individual EU governments. More specifically, we are now completing the preparation of such an agreement with Finland. Maybe this will prompt the European Commission to agree to our solving this matter in a systemic way directly with the entire European Union.

Question: Is it true that Western countries have handed over to Russia and China a new draft resolution on Iran, and when can this draft be considered in the UN Security Council?

Lavrov: The matter is being discussed in the format "three plus three": three EU countries – Britain, France and Germany – and the US, China and Russia. There is no draft resolution as such. Our Western partners are discussing the ideas which they think could form the content of such a resolution. We are guided by the position outlined by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in particular, when he spoke at a press conference in Paris. We are convinced that it is possible to achieve a diplomatic solution to existing problems, especially the problem of fuel supply for the Tehran research reactor. We do not exclude that if, as before, the Iranian side fails to give a constructive response to the proposal which was delivered to Tehran by the IAEA, then it will be proposed to discuss the Iran theme in the UN Security Council. This is the right of any member of the Security Council, and if that discussion is proposed, then we will, of course, take part in it.

In this case, we will proceed from the fact that sanctions, as a rule, do not solve problems, but sometimes become necessary, I would even say inevitable, yet they should in no way affect the humanitarian situation in a particular country, create problems for the civilian population.

The time for sanctions comes only when the other possibilities of advancing towards the settlement of an issue have been exhausted. It is this position defined by the President that we proceed from. I will emphasize that the world community has recognized the special role of "three plus three" – the so-called Six, or the "five plus one" group – in developing approaches to solving the Iranian nuclear problem. We are convinced that this group should remain the core in which to craft the proposals for further steps. But for this, of course, there is a need to keep searching for generally acceptable initiatives.